Public Information Available in County School Districts

Published on July 23 2013 11:12 am
Last Updated on July 23 2013 11:12 am
Written by Greg Sapp

Each public school district in Effingham County has policies and procedures for dealing with student records for the 2013-14 school year. Each school district - Altamont Unit 10, Beecher City Unit 20, Dieterich Unit 30, Effingham Unit 40 and Teutopolis Unit 50, adheres to policies and procedures on student records that are in compliance with the Illinois School Student Records Act.

The records of all students enrolled in the Effingham County schools will be kept in the building in which the student is attending, which will insure proper use of such records. After graduation from high school, each graduate's records will be kept on file at the high school from which he or she graduated.

Records of students who are enrolled in the school on or after July 1, 1977 will be separated into permanent and temporary records. Permanent records are maintained in each district for sixty years, while temporary records are purged after four years. Parents/guardians and eligible students in attendance prior to July 1, 1977 can request categorization to take place.

A student permanent record shall consist of students' and parents/ guardians' names and addresses, date and place of birth, gender, grades received, class rank, graduation date, grade level achieved, scores of college entrance examinations, attendance record, accident reports, health record and a record of the release of permanent and temporary record information.

Students and parents/guardians are afforded the following rights: To inspect and copy permanent and temporary records (cost of copying is paid by the parents/guardians); to control access and release of student records; to request a copy of the records; and to copy any student record information contained therein proposed to be destroyed or deleted. Also, parents/guardians have the right to inspect and challenge the information contained in a school's student record prior to transfer of the record to another school district.

On occasion, the school will release identifying information such as name, address, gender, birth date, grade level and place, and parents/guardians names and address; academic awards, degree and honors; information in relation to school-sponsored activities, organizations and athletics; and period of attendance in school. This directory information may be released to the general public, unless a parent requests that any or all information not be released on his or her child.

REQUIRED STUDENT HEALTH EXAMS

Now is the time when parents of first-time students, along with those returning for 6th & 9th grades, should begin thinking about physical exams for their children in each of the public school districts in Effingham County: Altamont Unit 10, Beecher City Unit 20, Dieterich Unit 30, Effingham Unit 40 and Teutopolis Unit 50

Physical Exam: All students entering Preschool, Kindergarten, 6th and 9th grade and any student new to the State of Illinois in any of the five public school districts in Effingham County will need physicals before the beginning of the new school year. Sports physicals do not qualify for a school physical. Without proof, a child may be kept from attending classes.

Immunizations: The usual boosters needed include DTaP, Polio, and MMR for Kindergarten, and Tdap for 6th and 9th graders. Also required: Chicken Pox Vaccine (or proof of disease verified by parent or doctor) for preschoolers through 6th grade; HIB (haemophilus influenza B) for preschoolers; and Hepatitis B Vaccine (series of three shots) for preschoolers and 5th through 12th graders.

Dental Exam: Dental exams are required for all students entering Kindergarten, 2nd and 6th grades this fall.

Vision Exam: All Kindergarten students and any student enrolling for the first time must have an vision exam.

Lead Screening: A lead assessment is required for Preschool or Kindergarten students when they first enter school.

Any out-of-state students attending schools for the first time must have a physical examination and proof of up-to-date immunizations prior to enrolling.

Effingham County schools employ the Effingham County Health Department to coordinate immunizations of local students. Parents can contact the Health Department in Effingham at 342 9237.

DISTRICTS OBSERVE NON-DISCRIMINATION PRACTICES

Each of the five public school districts in Effingham County, Altamont Unit 10, Beecher City Unit 20, Dieterich Unit 30, Effingham Unit 40 and Teutopolis Unit 50, shall not discriminate on the basis of age, sex, race, color, creed, religion, national origin, socio-economic status, mental or physical handicap unrelated to ability, unfavorable discharge from the military, or marital status in its employment practices or in services and activities provided to the students it serves. Allegations of discriminatory practices, including sexual harassment and sex equity issues should be directed in writing to the superintendent of schools in the district where the offense has occurred. The superintendent shall be responsible for investigating allegations and filing a response within a reasonable length of time. Findings of discrimination in the district shall be remedied.

FREE, REDUCED-PRICE LUNCH GUIDELINES ISSUED

The five Public School Districts in Effingham County have announced their policy for free and reduced price meals for those students unable to pay the full price for meals under the Illinois School Lunch, National School Lunch and School Breakfast, and Special Milk for Split-Session Kindergarten Programs and after-school snacks for the 2013-14 school year.

The following household size and income criteria will be used for determining eligibility:

Children from households that meet Federal guidelines are eligible for free or reduced price meal services or free milk.The following is the definition of income:Income is defined as any monies earned before any deductions such as income taxes, social security taxes, insurance premiums, charitable contributions, and bonds. It includes the following: (1) monetary compensation for services including wages, salary, commissions, or fees; (2) net income from non-farm self-employment; (3) net income from farm self-employment; (4) social security; (5) dividends or interest on savings or bonds or income from estates or trusts; (6) net rental income; (7) public assistance or welfare payments; (8) unemployment compensation; (9) government civilian employee or military retirement or pensions or veteran payments; (10) private pensions or annuities; (11) alimony or child support payments; (12) regular contributions from persons not living in the household; (13) net royalties; and (14) other cash income. Other cash income would include cash amounts received or withdrawn from any source including savings, investments, trust accounts, and other resources which would be available to pay the price of a child’s meal.All meals served must meet the US Department of Agriculture meal requirements. However, if a child has been determined by a doctor to have a disability and the disability would prevent the child from eating the regular school meal, this school will make substitutions prescribed by the doctor. If a substitution is needed, there will be no extra charge for the meal. If you believe your child needs substitutions because of a disability, please get in touch with the contact person for further information.

Application forms are available to parents or guardians at registration and in the school principals' offices. To apply for free or reduced price benefits, households must complete the application as soon as possible, sign it and return it to the school. Households should answer all applicable questions on the form. An application which does not contain all the required information cannot be processed and approved by the school. The required information is:Food Stamp/TANF Households: Households that currently receive food stamps or "Temporary Assistance for Needy Families" (TANF) for their child(ren), only have to list the child(ren)'s name and food stamp or TANF case number and sign the application. Link card number or medical card number cannot be used.

All Other Households: If a household's income is at or below the level shown on the income scale, children are eligible for either free or reduced price meals. Households must provide the following information: (1) the names of all household members, (2) the Social Security number of the adult household member signing the application, or the word none if the adult does not have a Social Security number, (3) the amount of income each household member received last month and where it comes from (wages, child support, etc.), and (4) the signature of an adult household member.

The information on the application may be verified by school or other officials at any time during the school year.

Households may apply for benefits at any time during the school year. Households that are not eligible now but have a decrease in household income, an increase in household size, or have a household member who becomes unemployed, should fill out an application at that time.In certain cases foster children are eligible for meal benefits regardless of the household income. Household that have foster children living with them and wish to apply for meal benefits for them should complete the application.

Households dissatisfied with the ruling of the official may wish to discuss it with the school. Households also have the right to a fair hearing. This can be done by contacting the following official:

In the operation of Child Nutrition Programs, no child will be discriminated against because of race, color, national origin, age, sex or handicap. If you believe that you have been discriminated against, write immediately to the Secretary of Agriculture, Washington, DC 20250.

The education of exceptional children is an integral part of the total educational program offered in each of the school districts in Effingham County. The Effingham County School Districts of Altamont, Beecher City, Dieterich, Effingham, and Teutopolis offer the following special education programs and services to exceptional children enrolled in their school districts: speech therapy, learning disabilities, programs for the educable mentally handicapped, trainable mentally handicapped, early childhood education (ages 3-5), and homebound services. In addition to these programs, the Effingham County Schools also offer cross-categorical special education services. Because of the uniqueness of exceptional children’s needs, it is sometimes necessary to have help from outside the district. This help is available through the Eastern Illinois Area of Special Education. Therefore, some students attend special education classes in their district, and others attend classes at E.I.A.S.E. programs in Effingham, Mattoon, Kansas, or Charleston.

Some special education pupils will attend classes located in their local school buildings, while others will be attending classes located in Mattoon or Charleston, Illinois.

As members of the Eastern Illinois Area of Special Education, additional services are available to our students. These are psychological and social work services; audiological services; curriculum aid; physical therapy; occupational therapy; teachers for the visually impaired, hard of hearing, and vocational education; braillists; early childhood programs as well as programs for the severely/multiply handicapped and behaviorally disordered; and program administration.

A few exceptional children require placement in special residential schools operated by private facilities. The districts arrange these placements in conjunction with special education specialists and parents, and pay tuition prescribed by the state.

The school districts provide an intensive screening program in the spring for all children ages 3-5 as a method of identifying children who may have difficulty in school. We test for possible hearing, vision, speech, motor, and learning problems. This is an excellent program, and one of which the districts hope you will take advantage.

Before any child can become eligible for a special education program, a case study evaluation must be completed. Parents, teachers, administrators, and community service agencies may refer any child for such an evaluation.

Persons having primary care and custody of the child and the Illinois State Board of Education may do the same. Prior to the case study evaluation, except for home/hospital instruction, the parent or guardian must be notified in writing of the procedures which will be conducted and that they will be asked for signed consent. Referrals may be made through the office of the building principal. Please call or write his/her office and this process will be explained to you.

All information obtained for a case study evaluation is highly confidential, and will be treated in a like manner. The district maintains a policy detailing the method for obtaining student information, the confidential nature of the information, and use of the information, how the information is recorded and maintained, how long it is maintained, and to whom it is made available. You may read this policy in the office of the Superintendent, and it is also published each year in the Effingham Daily News newspaper.

Parents or guardians of a handicapped child who disagree with the school regarding their child’s special education program, lack of a program, his or her individual educational prescription, possible suspension from school, dismissal from a program, or even the recommendation of graduation from a program should contact the school principal or district superintendent to express their concerns and try to work out a solution. However, if these concerns cannot be resolved in this manner, a parent or guardian may seek relief by requesting an impartial due process hearing or special mediation. An impartial due process hearing is set by the Illinois State Board of Education, who will appoint an impartial hearing officer to hear both sides of the dispute, and render a recommendation to the local school district. Request for due process hearings should be made in writing to the district superintendent. Upon such a request, parents or guardians will be informed about due process procedures and their rights to representation.

Additional information regarding the rights of handicapped children may be found in A Parents Guide: The Educational Rights of Students with Disabilities and the Rules and Regulations to Govern the Administration and Operation of Special Education (23 Illinois Administrative Code 226 - Special Education). These documents are available through the district superintendent, the regional superintendent of schools, most building principals, and the director of special education. Please feel free to contact any of these offices for this detailed information.

All exceptional children in Illinois ages 3-21 have a right to a free appropriate public education. Local schools are striving to provide these appropriate services. If at any time you wish to take advantage of a special program or have questions concerning the program, please feel free to call the unit office.